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David W. Larson, M.D., M.B.A., Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic: It's very rare that I see a patient who has a truly unresectable tumor. The most common experience I have with patients is that they come here scared because they don't know what the plan is.
Chris L. Hallemeier, M.D., Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic: There are some patients that are told locally that surgery is not an option. And for some of those patients, with a multidisciplinary effort, surgery for potential cure may be an option.
Zhaohui Jin, M.D., Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic: For rectal cancer patients, there is no single treatment plan that fits everyone. And we have to individualize the treatment plan based on the clinical presentation, the image finding, the disease stage, and more important, the patient preference.
Dr. Larson: It's really unmatched across the United States to have that kind of itinerary, where you can see your radiation oncologist and your surgeon and your medical oncologist all on a singular day.
Dr. Hallemeier: At our multidisciplinary rectal cancer clinic, each of our specialists have extensive experience in treating rectal cancer. We review patients' information ahead of time.
Dr. Larson: Our medical oncology colleagues, radiation oncology, surgeons, all review the case that very day and then collectively see the patient, providing them a plan.
Dr. Jin: Treating rectal cancer has been evolving constantly over the years, and we know that changing the chemo treatment backbone, using the new radiation modality, and the newer novel surgical technology, all help improve treating this disease more successfully.
Dr. Larson: Rectal cancer is a very complex operation for most patients, and we have one of the largest rectal cancer practices in the world, and we're really leaders in minimally invasive surgery and robotics, leading many first-in-human trials, which is really practice leading from the surgical point of view. It's proven to result in shorter hospital stays for patients and lower complication rates.
Dr. Hallemeier: And we're using interoperative radiation treatment as an additional tool to help make unresectable tumors resectable. It allows us to keep healthy organs outside of the area that we're treating. The colorectal surgeons in collaboration with urologic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, gynecologic surgeons, can perform complex surgeries that may not be possible at other institutions.
Dr. Larson: It truly is a union of forces. And we collectively create unique opportunities for every patient, tailoring it to just what they need to both cure and survive their cancers.
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